Grapes, then wine but not just yet!

The Trough of...well grapes!
Our forman, Giga's Grandfather
One down, 200 more to go!
Giga with some machira...yes, we drank it!

Hey All,
Written 14 September 2007.

Well, things here in Georgia have slowed down quite a bit…school doesn’t start for awhile, travel is restricted, and my continually promised internet access is….well, let’s just say it’s up there with “the check is in the mail” and “We’ll be greeted as liberators”! To use the internet, I have a 3 hour round trip to the nearest reliable site, which is why things have been a bit sparse these last weeks. This being said, I have tried to keep busy and the weather has been wonderful these past few days, so I really can’t complain much.
This week I went with Giga and helped my host granddad with the grape harvest and wine-making that is a Georgian tradition dating back…about 4,000 years. Georgians were making wine when the French were still running around in bearskins. The climate is great for it and you cannot separate Georgian culture from wine anymore than you can separate Barry Bonds from juicing! I’ve included a few pics that show Giga and I transferring machira, (grapes that have been fermenting about a week or so) to the final fermenting/aging barrel. The barrel in the picture holds about 250 liters of wine (about 62 gallons).
You may notice the fermenting “trough” and all the grape skins and other assorted non-soon-to-be-wine items. These grape skins etc. will not be wasted but will be distilled into cha cha, homemade vodka (another blog entry on this process will follow), but back to the machira. Machira has an alcohol content of about 5% (my guess, as no hydrometers are used in this process) and tastes like…..well, machira! In Georgia you must drink this as it is almost wine and therefore acceptable to imbibe. It’s OK, but it is no Willamette valley pinot noir! However, the company and being part of a tradition and craft that goes back so very far makes it a great experience.
Giga’s granddad is 81 years old and he and his wife still farm these 4 acres by themselves. 8 years ago, this man was hit by a train and flung 10 meters. Giga thought his grandfather was dead but 6 days later his granddad was on horseback, in front of Giga’s house, calling for him to come and work! Now whether the specifics of this tale are embellished or not, I cannot say, but he was definitely hit by a train and he is still moving pretty well today. This is representative of many of the elderly in this country…just the other day I had to grab a sack of wheat out of my bebia’s (grandmother) hands that she was carrying to the back shed. I swear it must have weighed 50 pounds! It truly is an amazing culture!
As I said, things are a bit slow right now and I thought I would re-post my phone number to those of you who may want to text or call me. There is a great web-site called www.skype.com where you can set up an account and call my cell directly from your computer for about 4-6 cents per minute. My number is 011 995 95149970. Georgia is 8 hours ahead of eastern time and 11 hours in front of Portland time. Curtis or Angela, if you are reading this, I have tried every combination of numbers possible to call you but can’t get through to London! So, call me and learn the future!! For those of you who have risked carpal tunnel syndrome punching so many digits, thank you! My world here is wonderful and I have many new friends but it is always good to hear from old friends!

The Never-ending Story (Part 1)

The Hero of our story..my host dad Zuriko!
A typical Georgian hardware "store"
NOT OSHA approved! but OK for the soviet union.
Welding Part II, or Part I as the case may be.
Brother Giga doing his best "workers of the world unite" pose!

Hey there! (written 06 September)

Well, there have been some setbacks of late as my Georgian counterpart became ill and we had to postpone our summer camp. This has freed up a bit of time for me and I have devoted most of it to sweating! Yes, still very hot here in Senaki but fear not!, as life goes on in Georgia no matter what the temperature. Now, I urge all of you to sit down and pay close attention to the tale I am about to unfold; I swear that it is 100% true (of course, back in the Navy, this would indicate a sea story of epic proportions) and will be told with no embellishment whatsoever. We shall call this tale “A dream unfulfilled”.
First, let me start by introducing the main character in this story: my host father Zuriko. Zuriko, by all accounts, is just your garden variety middle-aged man. He is quiet, with a dry sense of humor and has a love of puzzles and coffee. He looks after his family and in the short time I have known him, is rarely moved to high emotion, or low emotion for that matter. However, Zuriko has been formulating a plan for months, yes months, to get a satellite dish installed for his beloved television.
Now, in America, this would be as simple as slapping down the cash and waiting a week or so for someone to come and install it. Many folks would believe that this is the hallmark of efficiency that American society has aspired to perfect. Well, I’m here to tell you, Americans know nothing of the kind of tenacity that I have witnessed these past two days. And while it may be frustrating, it shows a glimpse into the remarkable nature of the human spirit. I mean, Shackleton had an easier time getting his men to safety than what Zuriko has had to endure for his dream.
As I said, this started months ago as the acquisition of materials began. At times things were available, at others they were back-ordered. The correct hardware needed to affix the dish remained elusive. Undaunted, Zuriko kept up the hunt, sort of a post-soviet era hardware store tomb raider. By the way, I have yet to see a hardware store “proper” in Georgia. Most of them are just storefronts, piles of stuff strewn about with no discernable organization. Slowly but surely he finally acquired all he needed, his friends were ready to help get the job done, and all was ready…..except for an available (by available, I mean free) arc welder.
Two weeks ago an arc welder (old soviet arc welders are one of the most frightening-looking pieces of equipment I have ever seen! See pic) was discovered but at this point, Zuriko’s labor force had other things to do so the job had to be postponed once again. Finally, the day arrived and this morning Zuriko was brimming with anticipation. “Joni”, he said, “tonight we will watch BBC!” (ghame vuK’ureb BBC) The crew was assembled, the behemoth welder at the ready, the power supply tapped, and then…..well, then Georgia experienced one of its famous power outages.
Unfazed (this happens all the time), Zuriko thought the prudent thing would be to keep the crew on site so he had his wife prepare a mid-morning snack of bread, tomatoes, and cheese. Now no self-respecting Georgian can have food without drink, and unbeknown to Zuriko, vodka was produced and consumed by the crew…maybe a little too much because by the time the electricity had been restored..well, let’s just say it was time for a break for the welder. Safety First! Zuriko was left fuming in the shade of the porch as he watched his crew disappear, with vague promises of a return shouted over their shoulders.
As I write this, the crew is indeed back (Georgians are people of their word) and I hear the buzz-buzz of welding above the yelling…I mean cooperation. We are 10 hours on..and scarcely closer to satellite TV than we were months ago, when this dream began. Should this ever be resolved, should this daring venture in telecommunications ever come to fruition, I will, of course, let you all know, complete with a picture of Zuriko, resplendent with remote in hand as the winter rains beat down outside. But right now, as with most things in our lives, completion remains elusive…they are now shouting at each other in Russian, not a good sign…more to come.
John

Ruins and Ruination

Eager volunteers waiting to see ancient history
The staircase to the outer walls (there were 3--defense in depth)
The baths--the small cylinders formed a space for hot air from fires were used to heat the floors and water--1700 year old radiant heat!
The carved tunnel that leads to the river and Allison--at least 1400 years old--the tunnel, not Allison (though she did just have a birthday!)
Some of our wine that tried to float downstream....I expertly retrieved it and saved the picnic!!

Hey all, Yesterday a bunch of us went to a place called nokhalikevi--the ancient capital of the western Georgian kingdom of Kholketi--Colchis to the Greeks. The earliest ruins are dated at 3500 years ago and the city continued to grow until it was taken by the arabs in the 7th century AD. I have been to the pyramids and to the sites of Rome but I am always amazed whenever I can touch history. My friends were not as giddy as I and I am sure I provided some amusement for them as I spoke of building techniques of walls and baths...Just remember PCCS students, you're getting off light since I'm here and you don't have to suffer through my classes!! After exploring the ruins at length we headed down to the river and had wine, bread, cheese, and fresh hazelnuts and swam in the river for hours. At a particularly introspective moment, Johanna said, "just think, people have been peeing in this river for almost 4000 years!" God I love my friends!!

I sincerely hope all is well back in the states--I see the Indians are in command...this could be our year!!

Also, if anyone is planning on sending a care package anytime soon--(hint-hint) I could use some beef jerky, black beans, hot sauce, seasoning packets for mexican food, maker's mark bourbon,pacific NW micro-brews, orregano (they don't have it here and I want to make pasta!), old DVD's (simpsons, south park, seinfeld) are acute cravings of late. I have been told by the G6 group to be shameless when asking for packages, so off I go, groveling to the land of the big PX!

Til next time,

All the Best,

John